Review: ‘Mad About Music’

Mad about mus ic has a genuine and enthralling, if somewhat obvious story [by Marcella Burke and Frederick Kohner]. Idea is a simple one. So as not to risk her popularity as a glamour girl, a beauteous widowed film star unwillingly hides her 14-year-old daughter away in a Swiss boarding school. Although the youngster is inordinately proud of her illustrious mother, she must cherish her affection in secret.

Mad about Music has a genuine and enthralling, if somewhat obvious story [by Marcella Burke and Frederick Kohner]. Idea is a simple one. So as not to risk her popularity as a glamour girl, a beauteous widowed film star unwillingly hides her 14-year-old daughter away in a Swiss boarding school. Although the youngster is inordinately proud of her illustrious mother, she must cherish her affection in secret.

When the other girls talk about their parents, the youngster takes refuge in telling of the fabulous exploits of her imaginary father, whom she describes as an explorer and big game hunter. When circumstances force her to make good the yarns, she imposes on a vacationing British composer to pretend to be her legendary father.

As evidence that Deanna Durbin is growing up, in this film she is given a beau for the first time. It’s still purely in the puppy-love status. She has acquired more varied technique before the camera, without losing her ingenuous charm nor her luminous screen personality.

As the adopted-by-surprise father, Herbert Marshall plays with unaccustomed warmth. Although her part is important to the story, Gail Patrick gets comparatively little footage as the actress-mother.